I have a 11 week old pup who refuses point blank to stay in a crate (he did for the first week when by my bed but now downstairs with other dog at night) but no matter how long he cried and barked for and I ignored it he continued without giving up so I left him out with the run of the 2 small rooms I have downstairs....he was silent, happy and didn't make a noise and continues to be great apart from having a poo and wee each night, I have put puppy pads down and he's sometimes used them but recently he doesn't.

Also and the biggest issue is that he will go outside for a wee but then doesn't, comes in and does it in the house....sometimes he'll whine at the back door and I let him out, he goes for a poo...great, so why does he not "get it" when he does sometimes and then not others.

I have had a puppy before but not for ten years, I do all the ignoring the toileting inside and praising highly outside.

I do understand he's only very young....will something just click in his head I wonder ?

Please don't tell me to persevere with the crate...ive tried and tried and I can't have a distressed pup.

Thanks

Annee

Does he use the crate during the day with the door open? Don't know if you've shown him it's a good place during the day with a kong etc?
When you highly praise him outside when he oes to the toilet have you got a command going as well? Is it certain times of the day he's less likely to go outside or the weather?
I would stay out with him until he goes and no playing, can take a good 20 mins for then to realise they need to go..
What breed is he as some breeds are harder to housetrain than others. I know with my pup and when I had the brothers here they went into individual crates at night and literally ran in for their kong, even now when let through she is so excited to be going in there, has her kong and falls asleep and then goes around 6-7 hours without a peep..

Hi Sue,

Metsi is an American cocker, yes, he will stay in the crate happily with a kong and also eats in there so he's out of Oceans way...once he's finished he's then crying to be let out.

I always say "Go wee, Go poo" when outside, taking him out after food, play, excitement etc....sometimes he goes, other times I'm out there for ages, he doesn't go but then does when back in the house.

He doesn't seem to hang onto it as much as I'd have thought....I thought he should last a couple of hours but doesn't seem to, I have had him checked for a uti but alls fine.

I can't remember when Ocean was house trained but she was good in that she went on a puppy pad then I just moved them over time to the back door.

I have bought the stuff from the pet shop that is supposed to neutralise odours but it seems to have no effect whatsoever.

I'm not sure if I could use anything else that does the same thing....but works.

Annee

My puppy is 16 weeks old and still toilet training is ongoing. She goes if i put her outside and i can generally spot when she needs to go and let her out but she doesn't 'ask' to go out so if i haven't noticed she just goes wherever.

You will get there, just keep rewarding the outside toileting.

(I have never used puppy pads as i didn't want to encourage any indoor toileting at all - im home all day so there should be no 'need' to go inside)

Thank you, I'm also home all day so yes, it should be for me to pick up the signs quicker.

I'm hoping that in time he doesn't need to go for a poo in the night....does your still go at night or are they dry ?

Annee

I found with my last pup that as he got older the garden became more interesting, so would take him out for about 5 minutes (no playing, just walking boringly round the garden on his lead) when it seemed likely that he would need to relieve himself, after that if he didn't perform, I took him indoors again for 5 minutes, and then out again as before, until we got the required result, then major praise and treats.  Also using his cue word while he was actually eliminating (not before or after at this stage, as when they're young they don't really know what their body is doing till it's doing it).  Yes, it took some time until he understood, but when  he did he never looked back.

I also used to get up in the night to "lift" him out into the garden - at first twice, reducing to once and then not at all when he was able to hold it without distress.

Mine is clean at night and has been since she was 9 weeks, i usually wake up to go to the loo around 6 so I wake her then and let her out and she goes and then i put her back to bed. Like your puppy she screams blue murder if crated in the front room and doesn't stop however is more than happy in a soft crate in my bedroom so she is only crated at night in my room. She has had 2 nights of not being in the crate last week, i was poorly so slept in the spare room and she slept in with me, she was clean all night then too.

> He doesn't seem to hang onto it as much as I'd have thought....

Puppies don't have much voluntary bladder control until around 5 months, when they need to go it is pretty much instant.

My pup is now almost 4 months and we still get plenty of accidents (wee, very rarely poo) if we are out or not watching her, otherwise she is very good, and if door is open goes outside without fail.

Something you may not have thought (apologies if you have.)  Males need to have more wees than bitches.  A bitch can do a very long wee and empty the bladder.  Boys really do take more "goes".  It may well be that you need to stay outside with him for a longer period if you have been used to toilet training a bitch.

Thank you Jean, this is the first boy that I've owned so yes, that really makes sense and hadn't thought of it.

He went to his first puppy class this evening and I'm going to reward him going outside with a treat and continue to ignore anything in the house as the trainer said.

Annee

Merry paws I did the lead walk in garden to and taking him out in night - old fashioned form of lifting do with children to in night to prevent wet bed thou I didn't take them in garden! I used same command and praised when he went in garden. If I found him squatting in house I'd scoop him up go outside, use command and if he went praised him. I never adopted the shouting or worse rubbing nose in 'accidents" as one friend advised me she did with her puppy. In my view its not necessary and confusing for the dog. He quickly grasped going outside to toilet as when he woke, after meals, playtime we would go out in the garden to toilet. One of the reasons I wanted a Summer puppy. All the others have been winter and I have been outside in wellies with a coat and trying to get the puppy to toilet whilst sniffing and exploring the garden.

Re odour control I have used the stuff in the turquoise bottle from the shops, mistral, normal floor cleaner. I found that by steam cleaning and then towelling over the area helped but by far the best was using bicarb of soda to remove the smell. A big box from wilko's and sprinkled the whole box over the areas - bearing in mind I had a whole litter here, they would go outside if the door was open but when I had to pop out or overnight it was a mess..
I have one pup left now who is staying and she is pretty good but can forget to go outside and thus go inside but it's rare. From around 9 weeks I had 3 pups in crates overnight next to each other and left with a filled kong. Occasionally we had an accident but they soon went all night without one. Last pup went Sunday and now my girl is crated at night still and no problems.

Saxonjus - Another vote for a Summer puppy:  one only needs an umbrella for the rainy garden visits (to hold over the puppy of course), lots of good treats to reward appropriate eliminations, (and boots and toys for when the bitey stage starts ).  I can never understand how anyone could imagine that shouting at a baby puppy or "rubbing its nose in it" could be anything other than cruel and confusing.  Some old-fashioned practices (like "lifting" in the night for toilet) are useful, others are complete rubbish.

I found it very interesting to watch as his awareness of himself and his surroundings developed.  The cutest was when he first noticed my older dog cock his leg to wee - pup stood amazed with a "how did he do that?" look on his face - it was a while before he could do it himself though!